to and from St. Helena; and under Capt. Lockyer he aided, in Aug. 1808, in embarking the Marquis de la Romana and his patriot troops from the vicinity of Nyeborg. He was confirmed to the Agincourt 29 Nov. 1808, and was subsequently appointed – 7 Jan. and 9 Oct. 1809, to the Nymphen 36, Capt. Keith Maxwell, and Blake 74, Capt. Edw. Codrington – 10 April, 1811, four months after he had left the Blake, to the Briseis 10, Capt. Edw. Thurlow Smith, stationed in the North Sea – in 1812-13, to the Venerable and Bulwark 74’s, Capts. Sir Home Popham and David Milne, the latter of which ships he left in Oct. 1814 for the purpose of attending a trial – and 26 Oct. 1824, to the Genoa 74, Capts. Wm. Cumberland, Walter Bathurst, and Hon. Leonard Chas. Irby. In the Nymphen and Blake he took part in the operations connected with the expedition to the Walcheren – the Nymphen being one of the frigates which, under Lord Wm. Stuart, forced the passage between the batteries of Flushing and Cadsand. During the time he continued in the Blake Mr. Smith was also present at the siege of Cadiz, and was actively employed on the coast of Catalonia. At Cadiz he was intrusted with the command of a Spanish gun-boat, in which he came into almost daily collision with the enemy’s batteries. In the Venerable he assisted at the capture of Santander and Castro, and otherwise cooperated with the patriots on the north coast of Spain; and, while stationed in the Bulwark on the coast of North America, he contributed to the capture of a great variety of the enemy’s vessels, and witnessed the surrender of the towns of Castine and Machias. As a reward for his services as First of the Genoa at the battle of Navarln, he was promoted to the rank of Commander 22 Oct. 1827. He afterwards, from 9 March, 1828, until 3 June, 1829, commanded the Brisk 10 in the Mediterranean; and, on 23 Nov. 1841, he was advanced to Post-rank.
Capt. Smith married, 24 Oct. 1814, Agnes, youngest daughter of the late Mr. Thos. Langdon, of Devonport, formerly of Barnstaple.
SMITH. (Commander, 1844.)
Thomas Smith (c) entered the Navy, 14 Nov. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Driver sloop, Capt. Robt. Simpson, stationed at Halifax, where he became Midshipman, in July, 1806, of the Indian sloop, Capt. Chas. John Austen, and continued almost uninterruptedly employed (until presented, in May, 1815, with a commission bearing date 3 March in that year) in the Sylvia cutter, Lieut.-Commander Crumpholtz, Observateur, Capts. Rich. Smith, Fred. Hickey, John Lawrence, and Henry Fane, Halifax, Capt. Alex. Fraser, Curlew, Capt. Michael Head, Martin 18, Capt. Humphrey Fleming Senhouse, Centurion 50, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Edw. Griffith, Cossack 22, Capt. Hon. Robt. Rodney, and Pomone 38, Capt. John Rich. Lumley. In the Observateur, Halifax, and Curlew he held the rating of Master’s Mate; and in the Martin and Centurion he acted as Lieutenant from 29 Jan. 1814 until 27 Feb. 1815. From 22 May, 1840, until advanced to his present rank 22 Oct. 1844, he served in the Victory 104, guard-ship at Portsmouth, Capts. Fras. Erskine Loch and Wm. Wilmott Henderson.
SMITH. (Commander, 1846.)
Thomas Smith (d) entered the Navy 17 Aug. 1816; passed his examination In 1823; and obtained his first commission 25 March, 1833. His succeeding appointments were – 30 March, 1833, as a Supernumerary, to the Thunder, Capt. Rich. Owen, with whom he continued for about four years in the West Indies – 8 Sept. 1837, after a few months of half-pay, again to the Thunder, Lieut.-Commander Bird Allen, fitting at Portsmouth – 30 Nov. 1837, to the command, which he retained until 1842, of the Lark schooner, on the North America and West India station – and, 5 March, 1844, to the Sparrow ketch, Capt. Henry Chas. Otter, on the coast of Scotland. In all the above vessels he was employed on surveying service. He continued in the Sparrow until advanced to his present rank 20 June, 1846. He was then re-appointed to her in the capacity of Additional-Commander; and, since 1 Jan. 1847, he has been serving, still on the coast of Scotland, in the Avon steam surveying-vessel.
SMITH. (Retired Commander, 1845.)
Thomas Smith entered the Navy, in Jan. 1794, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Brunswick 74, Capt. John Harvey. After sharing as Midshipman in Lord Howe’s action, he removed, in the following July, to the Robust 74, Capt. Edw. Thornbrough, stationed in the Channel; where he next, in the course of 1797-8, joined the Intrepid 64, Capt. Robt. Parker, and Royal Sovereign 100, flag-ship of Sir Alan Gardner and Sir Henry Harvey; to the latter of whom he became Flag-Lieutenant 5 Sept. 1800, the date of his first commission. In 1802-3 he served with Capt. Geo. Wolfe in the Galataea and Aigle frigates; in Aug. of the latter year he was nominated Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Thos. Graves in the Foudroyant 80; and in 1804-5 he was appointed to the Atlas 98, Capt. Wm. Johnstone Hope, and Orpheus 32, Capts. Henry Hill and Thos. Briggs. In the Orpheus he visited the West Indies, He was subsequently employed at Spithead in the Royal William, Capt. Hon. Courtenay Boyle. He was placed on the Junior List of Retired Commanders 26 Nov. 1830; and on the Senior 8 March, 1845.
SMITH. (Captain, 1846. f-p., 24; h-p., 17.)
William Smith entered the Navy in July, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Shannon of 50 guns, throwing a broadside weight of 538 lbs., and 306 men, Capt. Philip Bowes Vere Broke. In that frigate, after visiting the Greenland seas for the protection of the whale fisheries, he witnessed the surrender of Madeira, and assisted as Midshipman in taking, among other vessels, Le Pommereuil French cutter privateer of 14 guns and 60 men, the Nautilus American brig of 14 guns and 106 men, and the Thorn privateer of 18 guns and 140 men. He was also, 1 June, 1813, present at the memorable capture of the American ship Chesapeake of 50 guns, yielding a broadside weight of 590 lbs., and 376 men; an exploit which was achieved after 15 minutes of intense combat, productive of a loss to the British of 24 men killed and 59 wounded, and to the enemy of 47 killed and 115 wounded. “The Chesapeake’s maintop,” says Mr. James in his account of this action, “was stormed by Midshipman Wm. Smith and his topmen, about five in number, who either destroyed or drove on deck all the Americans there stationed. This gallant young man had deliberately passed along the Shannon’s foreyard, which was braced up to the Chesapeake’s mainyard, which was nearly square, and thence into her top."”[1] As a reward for the valour he had displayed, Mr. Smith, who had been particularly recommended by his Captain, was promoted, 14 July following, to the rank of Lieutenant. He continued in the Shannon until Nov. 1813; and was subsequently appointed – 27 Oct. 1815, to the Tiber 38, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres, with whom he served on the Irish, Newfoundland, and Channel stations until paid off 18 Sept. 1818 – and, in May, 1822, and Dec. 1825, to the Alligator 28, Capts. Thos. Alexander and Henry Ducie Chads, and Boadicea 46, Commodore Sir Jas. Brisbane, both in the East Indies, where he was actively employed during the war in Ava. While attached to the Alligator he commanded a division of boats, in Feb. 1825, and had 2 men mortally wounded, at the destruction of a stockade a few miles above Thesit. He contrived about the same period to render inefiective several of the
- ↑ Although described as Midshipman in the above extract, Mr. Smith in the preceding Feb. had been rated Master’s Mate. In Capt. Broke’s offlcial letter (Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 1329) he is represented as having stormed the enemy’s foretop.
